AGRICULTURAL INVESTIGATION IN SWITZERLAND. 685 



THE SWISS AGEICULTURAL-CHEMICAL EXPERIMENT STATION OF 



ZURICH. 



In the early history of this station the director gave the closest atten- 

 tion to the develo])ment of the control relation between the station and 

 the merchants, and also to increasing the efficiency of the control. It 

 was obvious that a thorough inspection of all the fertilizers and feeding 

 stufl's which came on the market could not be obtained by pressure from 

 the station, so the attempt was made to induce the business houses to 

 voluntarily submit all their goods to inspection by the station, under a 

 contract by which the purchasers could afterwards have the goods 

 examined by the station free of cost, and which bound the firms to pay 

 indemnity to the purchaser should the wares prove to be below the 

 guaranteed grade. 



On the basis of such a contract the i)urchasers are offered fertilizers 

 and feeding stuffs of guaranteed composition, with a free control analy- 

 sis, provided they fulfill certain formalities as to drawing the sample, 

 packing the same, witnesses, etc. In case the goods fall below the 

 guaranty, the contracting firms, so-called "control firms," agree to pay 

 the purchaser an indemnity depending upon the extent of the short- 

 age. If the shortage is within certain limits, given below, the indemnity 

 is only partial and is fixed by a prescribed tariff"; but if the shortage 

 exceeds these limits the indemnity covers the total value of the short- 

 age. The limits are as follows : 



In fertilizers : Per cent. 



For phosphoric acid and potash 0.5 



For nitrogen in fertilizers containing 5 per cent or more 0.5 



For nitrogen in fertilizers containing less than 5 per cent 0.3 



In feeding stuffs: 



For protein 2.5 



For fat 0.5 



The value of the excess of one constituent may, to a certain degree, be 

 used as an offset to the indemnity required for shortage of another, 

 provided the above limits are not exceeded; otherwise indemnity may 

 be demanded to the full value of the shortage. 



For the convenience of the purchaser a certificate is given by the 

 factory, which, after being filled out by the purchaser and the witnesses 

 of the sami)ling, entitles him to a subsequent examination of the sample 

 free of charge. Nevertheless, the purchaser can without special per- 

 mission from the factory, by right of one of the regulations, have an 

 examination of the goods made by forwarding to the station the invoice 

 with certificate of witnesses of the sampling. 



The station also twice a year makes known to the farmers the price 

 list of all the "control" firms, warning them that the fertilizers and 

 feeding stuffs of these firms only will be given free control analj^ses 

 by the station. The results of the examinations are officially reported 

 to those sending samples. 



